


Previously Inseparable

by Enjolchilles



Category: Atonement (2007), Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1930s, Childhood Friends, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Miscommunication, Romance, Summer, atonement au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-03
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:55:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25044247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Enjolchilles/pseuds/Enjolchilles
Summary: Sansa and Theon are childhood friends. They kiss before heading off to their first year at University together where they don't speak until they return home for the summer. For reasons neither fully understand or care to explain.Based on the first half of the book/film "Atonement", but no knowledge of that is needed!
Relationships: Theon Greyjoy/Sansa Stark
Comments: 1
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy had been childhood friends. Growing up Theon Greyjoy was welcomed into the Stark family. He was the son of one of their servants and fell between the ages of the oldest Stark boy and the oldest Stark girl. When Theon was born his mother had been put up in a cottage belonging to the Starks situated a few miles from the Stark manor. The eldest of the family, Robb Stark and Theon Greyjoy began their friendship when they were seven and six respectively. They would wander around the large house pretending to be bandits or mill around the lake pretending to be pirates. They were occasionally forced to include the five year old Sansa in their games and though they would never admit it they enjoyed her contribution. The father, Ned Stark, would often be away for business; but whenever he returned his wife Catelyn and him would gladly welcome Theon into their house and offer for him to stay for dinner or spend the night. Theon would occasionally accept but was warned by his mother to not overstay his welcome, on the occasions where he declined Robb and Sansa would walk him back to his home both boys holding the girls hands as they went. 

Soon Arya was born, then Bran, and then Rickon. He remembers the day when Ned brought home a boy his age called Jon, he did not understand how he was a part of the family but didn't care and soon Jon joined in on their games. The more Theon saw of Jon the less he saw of Catelyn, who claimed to have started to get awful migraines and could no longer bear to play with the children. 

When they were kids Sansa and Theon would play all the regular make believe games, go swimming, or play cards. Occasionally while Robb and Jon were off hunting or fishing with Ned, Sansa would rope Theon into playing house or dolls with her, and though he felt these girly games were beneath him he would always give in to make her happy. Theon would let her brush his hair and once even paint his nails as long as she promised to remove it before anyone else saw.

When they grew into their teen years their friendship became harder to maintain. It didn't feel appropriate for them to hold hands or give chaste pecks on the cheek and forehead like they did when they were children. Especially when Theon seemed to become more interested in the girls at school and their changing looks as opposed to the neighbour girl he grew up with. This isn't to say Sansa didn't also begin to pay more attention to the boys in her class. In fact her interest was placed significantly on Joffrey Baretheon, the son of a close family friend. At first he came off nice and Sansa interpreted his teasing as a sign of affection. He asked her to accompany him to the school dance that year. While there he spent half of the night ignoring her and the other half berating her. Telling her he should have asked a prettier girl to come with him. She left without saying goodbye and walked home alone. 

On her way up the driveway she was spotted by Theon who was sitting on his cottage porch. He was going to simply shout a hello until he noticed her distressing cries. He ran up to her asking what was wrong but she couldn't reply through her sobs. He comforted her the only way he knew how by wrapping her in his arms and whispering into her ear to come inside. Despite Theon constantly being in her home she had rarely been inside his. He led her to the bathroom nearest his bedroom and gave her a few minutes to wash up on her own. She dried her eyes and splashed some water on her face hoping the redness would go away. She dried her face on the nearest hand towel that smelt like Theon, earthy and strong, like pine needles and cherry wood. When she came back out Theon was sitting on the floor in front of his bed with two mugs radiating steam. She wobbled down to sit by his side and removed the small heels she had worn for the occasion of the dance, she felt silly wearing them now. They sat side by side only a few inches apart, backs against Theon’s bed. 

He offered her a warm cup of tea and asked, “What happened?’

She gave a single word response: “Joffrey.”

Theon didn't seem surprised. In fact he had warned Sansa that Joffrey was not the right type of guy to hang around. But she had ignored this advice, believing that Theon was just trying to protect her from a danger that didn't exist. She even feared that he would be right and she’d have to admit that he knew more than she did and that she wouldn’t always be able to protect herself.

But this wasn't the case. There was no smirking or “I told you so”, instead he grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. This gesture made her eyes fill with tears again and she lay her head against his shoulder. 

They sat with their silence for a few minutes before Theon finally spoke up, clearing his throat slightly, “Don't settle for someone like Joffrey...”

Sansa shifted, lifting her head from his shoulder to look him in the eyes. Their faces were centimeters apart and she felt held by his gaze.

He continued, “You can do better.”

She leaned closer to him and lightly kissed his lips. He took his other hand, the one not still entangled in hers, and caressed her cheek. When they broke away, slowly like magnets being pulled, he used his thumb to wipe a tear still left on her cheek. They laughed quietly for a second at the absurdity of it all, they had known each other since childhood and had always had a great deal of affection for each other. They both individually reflected on whether these feelings had been forming for a while or were just now brought to light. They both flushed, avoiding each other's eyes, unsure of how to proceed. 

Theon broke the tension, “Do you want to try something?” he asked. She looked at him with interest. He took out a small flask from beneath his mattress and held it up for her to see. He waited for her to hold out the mug to him before pouring it in.

An hour of drinking and joking with Theon passed before Sansa left to return home. She walked the miles barefoot, heels in hand, dancing and stumbling while singing a love song under her breath. When she returned home she climbed in bed still wearing the dress she’d worn to the dance, in the morning she’d deal with her mother being upset that she had wrinkled it, but for now Sansa went to sleep with only thoughts of lips against hers. 

* * *

After that night Sansa and Theon’s friendship returned to its previous state, as if they had never grown a bit apart. Though they didn't play like they did when they were young friends, they would go to the lake together or sit in the library. They seemed a bit more on edge with each other, Sansa noticed she put a bit more thought into what she wore when she knew she'd be seeing him and Theon seemed afraid to sit too close to her or brush up against her, and whenever he accidentally did his face would colour to a shade not too unlike Sansa’s hair. For a while they went on like this, not speaking about the kiss between them but not clearly ignoring it with their actions. 

A few years ago Ned had spoken to Theon and his mother about sending Theon to university with Robb and Jon. His mother had ecstatically accepted the gracious offer and now Theon prepared to leave as the summer came to an end. Sansa saw her two brothers off with a hug, and when saying goodbye to Theon she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Her hand lingered against his arm and his lingered against her lower back. She waved the boys off as they got on the train.

For the next year she saw less and less of Theon. When he came back for the holidays they would see a little bit of each other, but Theon spent a lot of the time with his mother or hanging around in town.

Soon enough it was Sansa’s turn to go off to university, so as the boys went off to their second year she joined them for her first. They all returned home together for the summer. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please comment if there are any grammar/spelling mistakes or just let me know what you think :)


	2. Chapter I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just for a bit of context: Robb/Jon/Theon/Sansa are all in their early 20s, Arya is about 13, Bran and Rickon are around 8.

**England** ●  **Summer of 1935**

On a particularly sunny and temperate morning Sansa and Arya enjoyed lounging together on the warm grass. Sansa often laid on her stomach, ankles crossed and elbows propped holding up a book. While Arya often laid on her back, eyes closed allowing the sun to scorch her as her imagination ran wild. 

Across the yard Theon sat working in the garden. Despite being practically family he was still the son of a servant and expected to occasionally pitch in where garden and handy work was needed. Sansa’s eyes strayed away from the words of Jane Austen to focus on Theon. His light blue shirt seemed to reflect the sunlight and made his hair shimmer. She couldn't help but notice he’d put on a bit of muscle over the year. 

Arya slowly opened one eye then the other. She looked over to her sister then shifted onto her front to see what she was looking at. “Why don't you talk to Theon as much anymore?” She asked. It had been a question on the whole family’s mind. Ever since Sansa and Theon returned from University it seemed their previous period of inseparability had broken. 

“We just don't see as much of each other anymore that's all,” Sansa returned to her book.

Arya accepted this answer, knowing her sister wouldn't say more, and laid back down.

* * *

Ned, Robb, and Jon had been away for two weeks on business. Ned had decided it was time for the boys to gain some experience in the workplace. They were set to return home this evening. Claiming a migraine for the first time in weeks, Catelyn stayed shut inside her room in the morning, with the curtains drawn and a cold wet towel pressed over her forehead. She’d ask for her daughters’ help preparing things around the house. Sansa had been instructed to fill a vase with some flowers as a welcome present for her brothers’ room. Sansa walked downstairs and mapped out how to get flowers without running into Theon in the garden. She decided she could run to the bottom of the hill where some wildflowers grew next to the lake. There she smiled as she watched Bran and Rickon splash each other and laugh. They tempted her to join them and jump in, she smiled and politely declined. She took a couple of each flower she could find creating a nice blend of pastel purple, pink, and white. She ran back to the house, leaving the whooping boys behind her. Back at the house her mother had separated a vase for her to use. 

Sansa considered how she would arrange the flowers, wanting them to look perfect but thrown together with little to no effort. She played around with different combinations before choosing to fill up the vase with water before making a final decision. She admired the priceless porcelain her mother had chosen, it was a family heirloom and only used for special occasions. She gently held it in her hands and walked over to the couch under the window to take off her shoes, she looked out and saw Theon still working. She reconsidered the question Arya had asked her earlier this morning, about why she and Theon had grown apart, but was unable to procure an answer. He had seemingly ignored her their first year together at university and Sansa, nothing if not stubborn, did not want to be the one to start the conversation about whatever it was that caused this silence between them. Luckily since returning home it seemed that Theon was willing to start up some small talk with her on occasion. 

She would fill the vase with water from the fountain in the yard, and hopefully Theon would be the one to initiate conversation. 

She rushed to the door, flowers and vase in either hand, and stopped by the mirror on her way out, brushing a strand of hair out of her face and behind your ear before continuing. Outside she passed Theon who looked up from his work. 

“Where did those come from?” He asked standing and pointing to the flowers in her hand, seemingly offended she hadn't asked to take some of the ones he had planted.

Sansa stopped and turned around to face him, “By the lake,” she kept walking, not minding that he followed. 

“I saw you reading down here earlier. Are you enjoying your book?”

“Not really,” Sansa doesn’t know why she lied. She was loving it. Maybe just because it was one of his favourites, she felt the dire need to despise it.

“Is that so? It’s  _ Emma _ , is it not? I thought you’d relate perfectly to such a handsome, clever, rich, and _stubborn_ character,” He smiled as he saw right through her act. 

She couldn't help but laugh, as poking fun at each other was always part of how they played. 

“Who are the flowers for?”

“Does it matter?”

He smiled down at the ground again while Sansa kept a composed face, they walked in silence till they reached the fountain. Theon attempted to grab the vase from Sansa, “Let me help with that.”

“No, that's alright.”

“You can hold the flowers and I’ll fill the vase for you.”

“I said It's alright.”

He moved his hand up to one of the vase’s handles, “Just take the flowers.”

She strengthened her grip and pulled it towards her. One handle broke off into Theon’s hand and fell to the ground while the rest of the vase stayed connected to the handle Sansa still held. Another piece had broken off, falling into the fountain. Sansa’s face turned as white as the porcelain. She carefully placed the vase on the edge of the fountain taking one small breath of composure before yelling, “You idiot!”

Theon tried to contain himself but a small chuckle made its way through his tightened jaw.

Sansa looked into the water where it fell, “You do realise how valuable and expensive this is?” she shouted.

“ _Was_ ,” He joked, his lips curling up at the end of his sentence. 

Sansa angrily took a step towards him.

“Careful!” he halted her, holding up his palm then pointing to a piece of broken vase Sansa’s bare feet were centimeters away from. 

Sansa sat on the edge of the fountain contemplating what to do. It was deep and foggy, she couldn't spot the broken piece from this angle. She looked back at Theon who was still not taking the situation as seriously as she wanted him to. She started to undo her blouse, pulling it over her head and pulling down her skirt, leaving her in just her slip.

His face turned from joking to serious rather quickly as Sansa climbed into the fountain. It was deeper than it looked, she had to go completely underwater to find the piece that flew in there. Losing breath, she carefully seized the fragment then jumped out. She stood in the fountain for a second, the water dripping down from her head to her knees, her slip clinging onto her skin. She was all too aware of the fabric’s sheerness and Theon’s eyes. 

They stayed in this silent position for a little too long until they both looked down. He glanced back at her one more time before turning his head, completely shielding his eyes. She hopped out of the fountain and put her clothing back on, appreciating the water on such a hot day, but desperate to dry off. She grabbed the vase and the broken fragment she had taken her dive for. The other handle, the one which she almost stepped on had been picked up by Theon.

Theon began to form an apology but Sansa stormed off, taking the other handle out of his hand and making her way back to the house, red in the face. 

Theon clenched his fist and watched her walk away. He went to sit where Sansa had just gotten out of the fountain and placed his hand on the water where she had stood.

* * *

Arya sat on the living room couch, legs dangling over the armrest. The blistering sun radiated into the room, particularly catching on Arya’s all white dress, which had been forced on her by her mother for the dinner party to be hosted later that evening. She had spent most of the day so far giving her mother a hand around the house, doing whatever chore she was asked to do. Eventually Catelyn Stark set her youngest daughter free and instead instructed an eager Bran and Rickon to give her a hand. Last time she saw them: Theon was busy out in the garden, Sansa was sat reading in her room, her two younger brothers were helping in the house, and the other two were gone along with her father. The moment Arya was finally able to play, she was left alone to find her own entertainment. 

She was unable to come up with anything to do so she walked across her home before finally setting herself down and watching out the window. She’d only been sitting there for a few minutes and so far nothing interesting had happened, but she didn't give up yet. Her eyes wandered across the decor her parents had placed in the house years before she was even a thought. Then she heard a slight buzzing right above her. She jerked her head to the left then right before looking up towards the ceiling. A bee glided down, landing on her arm before taking off again toward the window. Not being one to be afraid of insects, Arya followed it. She watched it struggle against the glass of the slightly ajar window. She thought she might guide it toward the opening, but after a few more seconds of wiggling the bee found its own way out. 

Arya began to make her way back to the couch but stopped in her tracks as she saw a figure moving in the corner of her eye. She returned to the window and focused to see Sansa and Theon standing in front of the fountain in the garden. She looked intently at what looked like her sister and her childhood friend arguing. Sansa took a step towards Theon, who then seemed to point and yell at her. Arya was taken aback, Sansa and Theon had always gotten along perfectly well; until quite recently, and she had never known him to be particularly aggressive. She’d never seen them look so upset at each other, even from a distance she could feel their hostility. Sansa began to undo the front of her blouse, taking it off over her head and sliding her skirt off afterwards, leaving her in only her slip. Arya gasped and quickly turned around, confused by what she had just seen. She collected her rapid thoughts before slowly turning back around to confirm them. 

Sansa emerged from the fountain, what had been left of her modesty was now stripped from her as her underdress had turned translucent. Theon turned his head as Sansa dressed herself again, they exchanged a few more words before Sansa marched away. 

Arya pulled herself away from the window in a haze. The room had suddenly become too bright and too hot. She considered whether Theon had ordered her sister to take her clothes off and step into the water for him, but decided she couldn't jump to such a conclusion. She went outside hoping some fresh air would do her good. 


	3. Chapter II

Outside of her window Sansa saw a black car make its way up the drive. Its top was down and she could see the fuzzy outline of two auburn-brown heads sitting in the front and a darker head sat in the back. It slowed down as it approached, stopping for a second to greet a figure walking by. She watched as her father and brothers exchanged a few quick words with Theon Greyjoy before continuing towards the house. Sansa rushed down the stairs, eager to greet her family. The door was opened for them by a servant and Sansa ran to hug Robb, the first through the door. 

Sansa jumped into his arms and he lifted her a few inches off the ground, head snuggled into her hair, he set her down and asked, “How's my favourite sibling?”

They heard Jon’s mock offense from behind them, “Hey!”

Robb turned his head toward his half brother, “Kidding!” he turned back and gave Sansa a wink.

She gave Jon and Ned their hug, kiss, and whispered words of welcome. Their father went ahead with his bags upstairs.

Robb brought up an idea he’d been mulling over on the drive home, “How about we go for a swim? While the sun is still up.” 

Jon and Sansa agreed enthusiastically, planning to meet up in the entryway in 10 or so minutes to head to the lake. 

There Sansa lay on a plush light pink towel letting the sun kiss her. Robb and Jon sat in lawn chairs opposite her discussing their trip and rumours about the war to come. Robb lowered his sunglasses to peak at his sister, “Guess who we saw on the drive here?”

Sansa didn't open her eyes and made a questioning noise, pretending not to already know the answer.

“Theon,” He answered, “We’ve invited him to dinner tonight.”

Sansa quickly sat up, “You what?”

“I invited him to join us. Why? Is there a problem with that?”

“No. No problem,” She shook her head.

“Are you sure?” Jon asked, “I know you drifted apart a bit this year...”

Sansa stood up, deserting her towel and walking towards the water's edge.

“Did something happen between you two?” Robb questioned.

Sansa dived into the lake, ignoring the perplexed boys behind her.

* * *

The door of the cottage flew open as Theon drudged in, hand over his forehead. He was completely and utterly embarrassed about what had happened at the fountain. Since when has it been so difficult for him to talk to Sansa? And when he thought he was making it better by offering his help, she refused, and to top it off he broke the vase. He hadn’t seen her so upset in a while, he hadn’t been seeing her too often nowadays anyways. He’d been avoiding her for reasons he couldn't bear to explain. Now he’d been invited to their diner tonight. 

He ran himself a bath, stripping down and stepping into the lukewarm water. He closed his eyes taking a long and deep breath. Every time he blinks he sees her, standing in front of the fountain, water dripping down. The image was burned into his eyelids flickering past each time they closed. He felt his blood stir, his body heating up. Her ivory coloured slip clung against her chest and hips, he saw the curve of her thigh and slope of her shoulders. He saw the freckles along her collarbones and a bruise on her knee, if he could have in that moment he would have knelt down and kissed it. 

Theon separated his best suit to wear that night. It had been a while since he’d needed to wear it, it almost felt foreign in his hands as he laid it out on his bed. He started by just wearing an undershirt and his suit pants. He sat at his desk with a towel around his shoulder waiting for his hair to dry before continuing to dress. 

He stretched out his left arm, blindly hitting his radio. Serene operatic music made its way through the speaker. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He didn’t have the heart or the guts to walk over and see Sansa again, to apologize face to face. His eyes fixed on the typewriter sitting on the upper corner of his desk. He straightened up and brought the machine closer to him. He began a letter formally:

_ Dear Sansa, _

Then he ventured into the apologies. Explaining how he hadn’t meant to break the vase and how awful he felt about their encounter and any uncomfortable position he might have put her in. __

He continued with a few more lines of spewed apologies. Writing whatever rambles came to his mind. But his letter soon took a turn as his emotions became more raw and he typed without filtering his thoughts. 

Theon clacked his typewriter, his fingers moving a mile a minute. He wrote about how he felt that night they had kissed years ago. He wrote about how she looked that morning in the fountain and how it made him feel. He wrote about how often he thought about her and he wrote about dreams he’d had of them together, sparing no explicit details. He just kept writing as if on autopilot. 

Theon read over the insanity he had just written and laughed at the idiocy of it. Though deep down he knew she thought something similarly of him, he couldn't chance it. Still unbelieving he took the paper out and set it aside, opting to handwrite his next draft. 

_ Dear Sansa, _

_ I apologise for my behaviour at the fountain this morning, there is no excuse. I hope you can forgive me. We need to talk about what has happened between us.  _

_ Theon _

* * *

Sansa ran her hand through her closet, her fingers catching on a particular dress. She took it out of the armoire, she’d never worn this one before, never felt as if it was the right time. She placed the hanger directly in line with her shoulders, looking down at how the dress would fall on her body. She took the hanger off, discarding it onto a footstool to her left and pulled it on over her head. It was the lightest dress she’d ever had the privilege to wear. It’s nonexistent weight felt a sharp contrast to the burdening wet clothes she’d been in earlier in the day. Not to mention it was the most gorgeous shade of bright green she had ever seen. 

It brought out her pale skin and warm glowing orange hair. She slid herself over to a mirror and looked at herself astounded. She grabbed the front few strands of her hair, pulled them back and added the final detail, a silver hair clip in the shape of a star her mother had handed down to her. She went back to admiring the dress, it fell perfectly on her and felt like nothing she’d ever known. It was perfectly thin. She lightly, almost hoveringly, placed her right hand diagonally onto her left hip and the opposite hand below her chest on her diaphragm. She physically felt her breath hilt at the touch. It felt as if no fabric was separating her hands from her own skin. 

She imagined Theon’s hands, larger and stronger than hers, so even if they applied relatively the same amount of pressure the presence of his would be overwhelming. She imagined him moving his hands up and down her thighs, a fantasy she realised she’s imagined before. Sansa threw her hands to her sides then straightened out the rumbled fabric she didn’t notice she had been scrunching in her hands. She looked into her own reflected eyes and saw what she knew they conveyed. A look of discontent. She took displeasure in how she allowed her mind to wander away from her so easily. She couldn’t stand to look any longer and turned the mirror around so she wouldn’t have to, not even accidentally. Nevertheless she was pleased with the dress, thrilled even. And she knew Theon would notice it too.

* * *

Theon adjusted his suit jacket, brushed back his hair with his hand, and fixed his bow tie. He grabbed the letter off his desk, placing it into an off-white envelope and sealing it. He walked out of the cottage into the humid evening air. He jumped over the fence and straightened out his suit once more. While making his way towards the house he noticed a child playing with a thin branch as if it were a sword. “Arya?” He called out stopping in his tracks. “Is that you?” he made his way towards her. She looked almost frightened to see him but still jogged over closer. 

He smiled lightly, “Are you alright?”

She nodded. 

“Could you do me a favour? Run ahead and give this to Sansa?” he smiled as he took the letter out from his suit’s breast pocket, “I’m too embarrassed to give it to her myself.”

“Okay,” She said, not looking into his eyes as she took it from him.

“Just… don’t open it, please,” He continued looking at her, as she turned to jog towards the house. 

Theon watched as she went, she picked up her pace and ran faster than he ever could or then he had ever seen her go. She reached the point where Theon could barely make her out amongst the field, like a dot on an impressionist painting. He watched her disappear into the manor. 

He stood silently for a few seconds as his heart sank in an instant. Something felt out of place. He retraced his previous steps. 

The suit. The hair. The tie. The letter. The fence. Arya.

The suit. The hair. The tie. The letter. The fence. Arya

The suit. The hair. The tie. The letter.

The letter.

The one of two letters he had left on his desk. One intended for his eyes only, the other for Sansa. One typed and placed slightly closer to the left of the desk, the other written and placed slightly closer to the right. The mirror in which he had made his final adjustments to his tie before leaving was on the left side of the room. The closest letter being the typed one on his left. The wrong letter, and the letter which he had grabbed and sealed. 

“ARYA!” He bellowed as loudly as he could hoping it would defy all logic and reach her. 

It was too late, Arya was inside and she desperately opened the letter, scanning it quickly and tripping up when she happened upon his detailed descriptions. 

She felt appalled by the vulgarity of her friend, making threatening advances on Sansa in this way. She didn't want to give the letter to her sister, but was afraid of what would happen if she didn’t. 

Sansa sat in the living room with all their brothers. 

Arya ran into the room, “Robb! Jon!” she exclaimed gleefully, shoving the letter into her sister’s hand before jumping into her oldest brother’s arms.

Robb spun her around in his arms.

Sansa interrupted their reunion, looking up from the paper in her hand, “Arya, did you read this?”

Arya ignored her sister’s interrogation and continued to jest with Robb and Jon.

“Arya?” Sansa repeated herself more sternly this time. 

Her mother and father entered, asking whether anyone cared for a drink. Arya took their entry as a distraction and opportunity to run out of the room. 

They heard a knock at the door and Sansa jumped up, offering to greet their guest.

Theon stood at the door looking slightly disheveled, knowing he would have met whoever would open the door with shame. Unbeknownst to him Sansa had been waiting for him to arrive. 

He saw the letter in her hand, “It was a mistake,” was all he could manage to say.

Sansa understood what he meant, “Arya read it.”

He ran a hand over his face, “I’m so sorry. I sent the wrong one.”

Sansa nodded and walked away. Theon stood completely still before giving in and following behind her. Neither noticed when a silver star clip fell from Sansa’s hair and crunched under Theon’s foot, they continued on their journey. Sansa led him to the library, motioning for him to close the door behind him. It had begun to darken outside so little to no natural light entered through the windows, she turned on a desk lamp. 

“What did you mean for it to say?” she asked.

“It was an apology for this morning.”

She nodded again, hoping he would say more. 

“And I want to talk about what’s been going on… between us.”

“Okay. Go ahead.”

He took her hand and they sat on the couch facing the bookshelves. 

“Do you remember the night we kissed a few years ago?”

“Of course I do.”

“I gave you some advice that night. And now I need to honour what I said, instead of being a hypocrite,” he looked down to the floor unable to look her in the eyes.

“I don't think I understand.”

“I told you that you shouldn't be with Joffrey because you deserve better. After our kiss, I knew I had to pull back. Because you deserve better than me.”

She looked astonished, “So you thought the answer was to ignore me?”

“...Yes?” he seemed unsure with his own answer. 

“God you really are an idiot.”

He smiled a bit before remembering the gravity of the situation. Sansa always knew how to make him laugh. He missed these moments between them.

She continued, “I wish you would have just talked to me about this.”

“You're right.” 

“And, just so you know, it's not true. If anything I don't deserve you.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Theon. You are kind, and smart, and funny, and you saved me that night after the dance, why wouldn't I deserve you?”

Theon moved closer, “Sansa you are all those things twice over.”

Sansa stood up, breaking away from him and hiding her face by walking towards the bookshelves. 

Theon got up and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Please don't cry,” he said.

She turned back around and he held her face in his hands, wiped away her tears with his thumbs like he did that night in his room. He tenderly held her face and kissed her. 

They shuffled back till Sansa’s back hit the bookshelf behind her. Theon pulled away painfully slowly, looking at Sansa to gather the emotions on her face. 

She moved a hand up toward his face, brushing his hair back with her fingers. Once she made her desire clear enough their lips met again. Deeper and fuller, Sansa’s hands traveled down the nape of Theon’s neck and across his shoulders. He moved his lips to her cheek, her jaw, and down her neck. He placed his hands on her hips and guided her so she was perched on the shelves conveniently behind her. Theon’s hand inched up her thigh bringing her dress up with it. She gave a more audible and surprised gasp when he touched her where she had only ever touched herself. He moved his hands up and pulled her thin dress straps down as she began her work undoing his trousers. 

She felt him through the thick material of his trousers before slipping her slim hand down the waistband. She stroked him delicately before getting a firmer grasp and picking up her pace. He slid a hand down the top of her green dress and lay his hands on her upper back. He kissed and dragged his lips across the top of her breasts and grazed his fingers underneath the swell of them. His hands took a journey down to grip her hips and squeezed. Sansa jolted underneath this added pressure, enjoying the feel of his hands against her skin. He moved his hand between her legs again and touched her with the pads of his fingers. While Theon had a bit more experience than Sansa, neither particularly knew what they were doing. But it didn't matter at that moment as they gave in to their pent up emotions in a jumble of hands and mouths. They slowed themselves down as Sansa pulled one leg up and wrapped it around Theon’s hips. They kissed again, then sat with their foreheads pressed against each other, hands still at work and breathing heavily. Sansa gripped a ladder next to her, used to reach the highest shelves, for support. Theon moved himself against her harder than before, and they were unable to conceal their noises. 

“Theon?”

“Yes?”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

They shared another kiss, more gentle than the previous one, but their respective grips on each other grew more desperate. Theon took one of her hands and pinned it above her head, lacing his fingers with hers. He ground up against her, whimpering with each thrust.

Sansa became silent and still for a moment and he whispered a worried concern of having hurt her. She moved her hand away from his grip and placed it on his chest as a signal to stop. “I think someone is at the door,” she whispered. 

Theon turned his head as far as he could to see a short silhouette in the doorway. She was shadowed by the light, but it was undoubtedly Arya.

She had been sent to fetch her sister for dinner, she got distracted by something sparkling in the hall leading towards the library 

She picked up the miniscule silver detail she had noticed glistening from the carpet. She turned it over in her hand. It had been the silver star hair clip her mother had handed down to her sister. She thought Sansa had gone up to her room but instead she must've been reading in the library. When she walked in she noticed it was dark except for one lonely lamp. Arya was drawn to the light like a moth to the flame, and the closer she got the more the light spread across the shelves behind it and the more she could see. The lamp’s light shone on a section of the bookshelves where she could now see two interlaced figures. 

The two stayed quiet, unsure of what to do next. They slowly melted away from each other. Sansa turned towards the shelf to hide her face as she adjusted her hair and dress. She walked away leaving Theon who stood there for a moment, collecting himself before buttoning up his trousers, rubbing a hand through his jostled hair, and following her out.

They returned together to the living room where the rest of her family was still catching up. Catelyn looked up as they approached, “Oh there you are,” she said, “Where’s Arya? I sent her to go look for you two.”

Sansa cleared her throat, “She's on her way.”

“Oh good,” said Catelyn, “Shall we go to the dining room then?”

They followed her to the dining room table, Theon pulled out the chair for Sansa to sit, she smiled and thanked him. Arya had sneaked in with the rest of the family. On one side of the table sat Jon, Robb, Sansa, and Theon. Parallel to them sat Arya, Bran, and Rickon while their parents sat at the table heads. 

The rest of the family had already been deep in conversation when Sansa and Theon had been out of the room. They spoke of a possible family trip somewhere warm, possibly Italy or Greece. 

“Now why would we want to go somewhere hot when we already have this heat?” Ned asked, “It's the hottest it's been in the last decade. I'm beginning to think maybe winter will never come again,” He jested, laughing a low belly laugh. 

“My parents used to tell me that warm weather made people do bad things,” Catelyn joked, though the anecdote was true.

Jon and Robb took this as an opportunity to poke fun at their sisters, as they often did, “Well I’ve been nothing but a saint today,” Jon began, “What about you Arya? Seen or done anything bad today?”

Sansa froze as she looked towards her younger sister. Arya opened her mouth, relieved to finally express all the thoughts she’d had today, but her sister’s face stopped her. Sansa smiled softly, more genuinely than she had in weeks.

Arya responded, “No, nothing bad.”

Robb nodded, “and you Sansa? Does the heat make you behave badly?”

Sansa's eyes quickly shifted from Robb to Theon to the napkin on her lap. Under the table Sansa felt Theon’s hand on her thigh, its heat crawled all the way up to her face.

“Seven hells,” laughed Jon, “You’re blushing!”

“No, I've done nothing wrong today,” She responded. While the rest of her family moved on distractedly to a new conversation topic, Sansa lay her hand over Theon’s, strengthening her grip and smiling when his eyes met hers. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! please comment any grammar/spelling mistakes you see or just tell me what you think!
> 
> also I'm considering writing an Arya/Gendry fic based on another scene from Atonement if anyone is interested please let me know!


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